Material irradiation tests at CERN

The paper describes the CERN irradiation test programme which comprises accelerated and long-term irradiations carried out in the mixed neutron gamma field of a nuclear reactor, and with gamma rays from spent fuel elements and cobalt sources as well as life exposure at the existing CERN accelerators. Results are presented for commercial cable insulating and sheathing compounds, for thermosetting resins used as insulation for large magnet coils, and for various other items used in high-energy accelerator engineering, such as electronic components, motors, seals, hoses, protective paints, etc. It is shown that products can be found on the market for operation in a radiation environment up to doses of 106 to 108 Gy, even though they were not especially designed for nuclear application. Examples are given of radiation damage to components which were installed and operating in CERN accelerators for many years. The validity of the estimate of life performance from accelerated radiation damage tests is discussed. (author)